SOUTHFIELD (WWJ/AP) - Advocates pushing for broader legalization of marijuana in Michigan hope to send a message of support — and economic clout — by spending $2 bills.

Supporters of the cause are being asked to spend at least one of the typically less-used $2 bills for every cash purchase for the three weeks. The effort kicked off on Wednesday.

Steven Greene, a 45-year-old South Lyon resident, said he picked up $200 in $2 bills from a credit union in Southfield. Greene, a state-registered user of medical marijuana and a caregiver licensed by the state to grow medical marijuana for others, said the use of the bills could remind people of possible tax revenue from marijuana sales.

“People will also realize, if you arrest us, you’re taking that same money out of circulation, and you’re spending tax dollars to put us in jail,” he said.

Michigan voters approved marijuana for some chronic medical conditions in 2008, but the state Supreme Court ruled in January that medical marijuana dispensaries aren’t allowed. Michigan has roughly 130,000 registered users of medical marijuana.

WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — A bill introduced Wednesday by D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in the nation’s capital.

The bill would make possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a $100 fine.

The measure was prompted in part by an American Civil Liberties Union report that found the District of Columbia leads the nation in per capita arrests for marijuana possession.

Councilmember David Grosso, one of nine co-sponsors of the bill, strongly supports decriminalization in the District for a multitude of reasons.

“It’s time for us to recognize that marijuana does not do harm,” said Grosso. “It’s not a gateway drug like people think it is. It’s not causing massive accidents or causing people to go crazy on the streets. And it’s just leading a lot of kids right to jail. Until they’re able to purchase this in a regular store and not have any consequences, that’s what it’s going to continue to do.”

Gun Advocate Refuses to Speak In Court, Held Without Bond

The ACLU report also states about 90 percent of those arrested for marijuana possession are black.

“For too many years we’ve put non-violent drug offenders behind bars, disproportionately affecting African-American males, especially in the District of Columbia,” Grosso said. “It’s time for us to step up and stop that from happening. The way to stop that is decriminalization.”